How Much Will it Cost?

Eligibility for maintenance grants and loans

Students going abroad for a semester or year should continue to be eligible for maintenance grants and loans as normal.

Additional support

If you are SAAS-funded, you may be entitled to additional funding to support your mobility.

If your period abroad is a compulsory part of your programme, you may be able to apply for the SAAS Study Abroad Grant. This is new for the 2025/26 year and replaced the SAAS Travel Grant. Eligibility is similar to undergraduate bursary schemes currently available through SAAS:

• Students whose household income is below £34,000
• Students who are eligible for the Care Experienced Bursary (CEB)
• Students who are eligible to the Estranged Student Bursary (ESB)

Please note, paid traineeships are not eligible, and therefore this funding is only open to students undertaking study exchange.

Further Information

Please check the SAAS website for further information. Any questions about eligibility, please contact SAAS directly.

Eligibility for maintenance grants and loans

Students going abroad for a semester or year should continue to be eligible for maintenance grants and loans as normal.

Additional support

Students funded via Student Finance may be able to submit receipts to reclaim the cost of items such as flights, health insurance, vaccines and visas. Students do not have to be going abroad on a compulsory mobility to qualify, and traineeships may also qualify. However, eligibility may depend on household income. 

Further Information

Please check with the relevant provider for further information.

• Student Finance England
• Student Finance Wales
• Student Finance Northern Ireland

Study exchange and traineeship opportunities may be funded under the UK Government's Turing Scheme. This is dependent on the level of funding available for each academic year. You cannot apply for funding directly from the Turing website; students instead apply through the Go Abroad team. Please note that Turing funding cannot be guaranteed.

General Eligibility

• Turing-funded placements must take place outside of the UK.
• Students do not need to be a UK national to apply for Turing funding. However, students returning to their home country for a mobility period will not be eligible.
• Students must follow FCDO travel advice

Funding Rates

Turing Scheme funding rates depend on the duration and location of the placement.

Turing splits countries into two groups, based on an assessment of general living costs in those destinations:

• Group 1 countries (including Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway, USA) 
• Group 2 countries (including most European countries, Hong Kong, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea)

Turing Scheme funding rates for 2025/26 are as follows:

Additional funding for students from disadvantaged backgrounds

Students who meet one or more of the criteria below are entitled to an additional top-up of £4 per day, and can also submit receipts to reclaim certain costs, such as one return journey plus transfer, compulsory insurance, visa costs and vaccines.

Widening Access criteria

• an annual household income of £35,000 or less
• receipt of a University scholarship or bursary that was awarded on the basis of financial need
• a home address in SIMD20/POLAR4Q1 postcode
• previously eligible for free school meals or Educational Maintenance Allowance
• receipt of Universal Credit or income-related benefits because they are financially supporting:
  • themselves
  • themselves and someone who is dependent on them, such as a child or partner
• experience of being in care or who is a care leaver – including anyone who is or has been in care, or from a looked after background, at any stage of their life
• a carer, meaning anyone who both:
  • looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, and cannot cope without their support
  • is not paid for this care
• someone who is estranged – including anyone who has had no contact with their biological or adoptive parents for 12 months or more, or the relationship with their parents has broken down within the last 12 months
• a refugee or an asylum seeker

Additional funding for SEND students

Disabled students and students with long-term health conditions can receive the standard grant rate plus actual costs for additional expenditures related to their disability or health condition, such as the cost to transport a mobility aid, prescription costs, etc.

Further Information

Please check the Turing Scheme website for further information.

Information on how to apply will be shared by the Go Abroad team once available. 

Where can I go?

north2north is a funding programme for institutions in the University of the Arctic network. University of Aberdeen students can apply for this funding to go on study exchange to any of the following institutions:

• Denmark - Aarhus University;
• Finland - University of Helsinki, University of Lapland, University of Turku;
• Norway - University of Bergen, University of Tromso (aka UiT - the Arctic University of Norway). 

Grant rates

Award amounts vary by country:

• Denmark - €1,000 for one semester and €1,500 for two semesters. €500 is also available for travel
• Finland - €3,000 for one semester and €5,000 for two semesters.
• Norway - approximately £5,000 per semester.

This funding is administered by the host institution.

If you are currently in Year 2 and applying to any of the institutions listed above for a third year exchange, we strongly encourage you to apply for the north2north grant rather than relying on Turing Scheme funding. If you later apply for Turing Scheme funding for these destinations without having applied for north2north funding, your funding application will be deprioritised.

How to apply

The north2north application process is open to students currently in their second year who are interested in applying for study exchange for their third year (academic year 2026/27). Please check your eligibility by referring to the list of north2north Year 3 Exchanges

Please complete a north2north Exchange Study Plan and submit this, along with a copy of your Degree Calendar, via our application system. The application link will be open from: 04-17 December 2025

Please see our How to Apply – For Study Exchange page for full details of the study exchange application process and to access the north2north early application form. We held an Outgoing Study Exchange Application Information Session on 3 December which also provided an overview of the north2north application round. Watch a recording of the session below. Information about the north2north application process starts at 51:29. 

If you are selected for a north2north partner, you will then be nominated to the relevant north2north National Agency in February. This nomination will include the Statement of Motivation you have provided in your north2north Exchange Study Plan so please write your statement with the relevant host institution in mind. There is more information on the north2north website to help you: Motivation Letter

FAQs

Q. Can I begin working on my north2north grant application now?

A. Yes, you can begin working on your north2north Exchange Study Plan before the application form opens on 3 December.

Q. When will I find out if I have been successful?

A. We aim to let you know in January the outcome of your north2north grant application.

Q. I am in first year and would like to go on exchange in second year. Why can’t I apply for a north2north grant?

A. The north2north grant nomination deadline is set externally and there is not enough time for us to assess Term 1 results before making an offer. We will assess second year north2north applicants on their Year 1 results only. However, you can still apply for these partner universities outside of the north2north grant programme through the normal Study Exchange application process, which opens in January. If there are places remaining and you meet our application criteria, you may still be able to go there on exchange.

Q. What if I miss the early north2north grant application deadline or I am not selected through the north2north round – can I still apply for one of these hosts?

A. Yes, you can still apply for an exchange through the normal Study Exchange application process, which opens in January. If there are places remaining and you meet our application criteria, you may still be able to go there on exchange.

Q. I would like to apply for a north2north host but I am also interested in other destinations. Can I add these to my north2north grant application?

A. No, you should only apply for north2north hosts in the December application round. Please only apply if a north2north host is your first choice. You are welcome to include more than one north2north host (if the university is suitable for your degree) but you should not include non-north2north partners on this application. If you are not successful in this round, you are welcome to apply for alternative hosts through our main application round. If a north2north host is not your first choice, please wait and apply in January. 

Where can I go?

The Swiss-European Mobility Programme enables Swiss higher education institutions to provide funding for international mobility. University of Aberdeen students can apply for this funding to go on study exchange to any of the following institutions:

• University of Geneva
• University of Lausanne
• University of Zurich

Grant rates

Award amounts vary depending on the duration:

• approximately £1,300 per semester.

This funding is administered by the host institution.

How to apply

There is no separate application for this funding - as long as you select at least one of the Swiss institutions listed above, you will be considered. Please see our ‘How to Apply – For Study Exchange’ page for full details of the study exchange application process.

McNeil Scholarship

The McNeil Scholarship is for Drexel University in the USA. This is a competitive award which has, in previous years, been $25,000 USD or more. This Scholarship is an excellent opportunity to enhance your C.V. The application is administered by the Go Abroad team but is separate from the main Study Exchange Application. Students applying to Drexel University should apply by 23:59 on Friday 30 January.

Lord Wilson Scholarship

Two single semester scholarships of £5,000 each are available for students on study exchange in Hong Kong. These can be awarded for either Term 1 or Term 2. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds will be prioritised but all students applying to a partner in Hong Kong are encouraged to apply. The deadline is 23:59 on Friday 30 January. Please contact GoAbroad.Outgoing@abdn.ac.uk for details.

Rhodes College Scholarship

The Rhodes College Scholarship is available to one student from a financially disadvantaged background. The successful applicant will receive $6,000 (single semester exchange) or $12,000 (full year exchange). The recipient will be asked to write a thank you letter to the donor during their exchange. The deadline is 23:59 on Friday 30 January. Please visit the Rhodes College Scholarship page for details.

BUTEX Scholarship

The BUTEX Scholarship is available for destinations in North America. These are competitive awards of £500 GBP. Applications are made directly to BUTEX. 

Stevenson Exchange Scholarship

This scholarship is for students studying in France, Germany or Spain. Students undertaking a Teaching Assistantship may apply for a Scholarship but must be in a position to combine teaching with attendance at a University. This scholarship is administered by the University of Glasgow but students are nominated by the University of Aberdeen. In previous years awards have ranged from £250 to £3,000. Applicants are required to attend an interview.

Scottish Italian Scholarship

This scholarship is for students studying in Italy. This scholarship is administered by the University of Glasgow but students are nominated by the University of Aberdeen. This is a supplementary scholarship and in previous years awards have ranged from £500 to £600. Applicants are required to attend an interview. Please contact GoAbroad.Outgoing@abdn.ac.uk for details. The closing date is usually in March.